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I like Kate Atkinson

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My favorite writer these days is Kate Atkinson. I bought “A God in Ruins” on the strength of a favorable mention via NPR, then tried a couple of her detective novels: “Case Histories” and “When Will There be Good News?”

when will there be good newsAll are superb. This woman reminds me a lot of Ruth Rendell: so literate, so much incisive wit, so adept at creating distinct characters and interweaving their stories in ever-surprising ways. I know: that sentence sounds pretty tedious as I re-read it, but trust me: she’s a writer who knows what she’s doing.

When I referred to Atkinson’s “detective novels,” that label doesn’t really do them justice. Yes, there’s a world-weary detective who is a recurring character, and yes, there are some dark deeds to unravel. But you never get the sense that her protagonist and her plots are the main thing. In Atkinson’s novels, the journey is just as illuminating as the destination — often more so. Once in awhile you find an author whose every page is a pleasure to read on its own. She’s one of those.

I started this blog many years ago with an emphasis on crime fiction, and then gradually lost my way. I mention Atkinson’s books because she’s written the best “crime fiction” I’ve read in a long time, and like very few other authors she isn’t constrained by the genre at all. Dave Bob says check her out.

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Comments

  1. I downloaded the free sample and will take it from there–thanks for the recommendation.

      • I did think it started a tad slow although part of it was me trying to sort out the various characters and their story lines. But once I got things straight, it was smooth reading to the end and really hooked me. I had to laugh though–certainly aptly titled!

  4. I ordered and read all of her mysteries. They reside on a shelf in Mesquite. Don’t ask an old man to remember their titles…. All were good, but the first I read astonished me with my first encounter with its setting and historical time frame.–replicated in the rest of the series. Not a bad one in the series.